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GPT-6 Luna

Released 2026-09-22

chatVisionCodeTool callingReasoningPrompt caching

GPT-6 Luna is the lightweight tier of OpenAI's GPT-6 family, released on September 22, 2026 alongside GPT-6 Sol.

Input
text image $0.1/M
Output
text $0.5/M
Cache read
$0.01/M
Context
1.1M
vs GPT-4o
~98% cheaper
Knowledge cutoff
2026-05

Prompts over 272K tokens: the whole request bills at $0.2/M input · $0.75/M output

Benchmarks

Above averageonly 1 comparable
GPT-6 Luna other models measured peer average no peer scored higher
DeepSWE 1.1
66.6%

Vendor-published: Alibaba (Qwen) Anthropic DeepSeek Google OpenAI Z.ai

Price in context

Where the price sits among 67 comparable models

Input$0.1/M
$0.05 · Qwen3 VL Flash GPT-5.4 Pro · $30
Output$0.5/M
$0.275 · DeepSeek V4 Flash GPT-5.4 Pro · $180
Cached read$0.01/M
$0.0028 · DeepSeek V4 Flash GPT-5.4 Pro · $15

The bar shows how this model’s price compares with every other model of the same kind on Synthorai. The cheapest and the most expensive are named at each end. These are base rates; batch, region and cache-write discounts are on the pricing page.

Specs & limits

Tokens

Context window (vendor spec) 1,050,000
Max output (vendor spec) 128,000
Knowledge cutoff 2026-05

Prompt caching

How it caches automatic
Min prefix 1,024
Lifetime 5-10m, up to 1h

Thinking

Vendor control reasoning.effort
Accepted values none · low · medium · high · xhigh · max
Default medium applied when the request sets nothing
Can be turned off Yes
Parameter reasoning_effort
Values minimal · low · medium · high the gateway's parameter surface - the vendor mapping above applies

Model

Modalities text + image → text

OpenAI's most efficient GPT-6 model for focused, high-volume tasks and the lowest-cost option in the family. 1.05M context of which up to 922K can be input, 128K max output. Prompts over 272K input tokens move the whole request onto the long-context rate (2x input and cache, 1.5x output). On Chat Completions, function calling works only with reasoning_effort set to none.

per OpenAI official docs ↗

One prompt, measured through the gateway

PROMPT Explain to a CFO, in exactly three sentences, why our LLM bill doubled after we enabled reasoning. CHECK exactly 3 sentences

GPT-6 Luna passed · 3 sentences

Enabling reasoning typically makes the model process more information and generate more internal tokens before producing its answer. Because usage is billed by tokens—and reasoning may also route requests to a more expensive model—the cost per request can rise sharply. If request volume stayed similar, that higher cost per request could explain why the bill doubled.

out 117 tok (+48 thinking) latency 3.4 s

Instruction following (exactly three sentences - countable), audience shaping (CFO register), and the hidden-thinking billing gap the token meters below expose.

PROMPT This function is supposed to return the longest run of consecutive equal items, but callers report it is off by one on single-element inputs and misses runs that end at the last index. Fix it and explain the bug in one paragraph. CHECK fix passes tests

GPT-6 Luna passed · 8/8 cases

```python def longest_run(xs): if not xs: return 0 best = cur = 1 for i in range(1, len(xs)): if xs[i] == xs[i - 1]: cur += 1 else: cur = 1 best = max(best, cur) return best ``` The original code counted matching *adjacent pairs* rather than items, so a run of length `n` was reported as `n - 1`, and a single-item input returned `0`. This version counts the current item as part of each run and updates `best` at every index, including the last; it returns `0` for an empty input.

out 514 tok (+356 thinking) latency 6.9 s

Whether the fix is actually correct (runnable), explanation density, and token efficiency on a bounded task.

PROMPT Extract a JSON object with fields {company, quarter, revenue_usd_m, growth_pct, guidance} from this text. Use null for anything not stated; add no other fields. CHECK valid JSON, schema exact

GPT-6 Luna passed · 5/5 fields, guidance "Withheld pending the Q4 close"

{"company":"Meridian Robotics","quarter":"September quarter","revenue_usd_m":412,"growth_pct":null,"guidance":"Withheld pending the Q4 close"}

out 161 tok (+119 thinking) latency 21.7 s

Schema obedience (no invented fields), hallucination pressure (guidance is explicitly withheld), and structured-output path differences.

PROMPT Write a 120-word product announcement for an API gateway feature that caches prompts across providers. Forbidden words: "seamless", "unlock", "game-changer", "revolutionize", "empower". Exactly one sentence must be a question. CHECK 120 words, 0 banned words

GPT-6 Luna passed · 120 words, 0 banned, 1 question

Introducing Prompt Cache, a new API gateway feature that recognizes repeat prompt prefixes and reuses provider-side cached context across supported models. Teams can route requests to different AI providers while preserving eligible cache hits, reducing redundant input processing and helping lower latency and token costs. Configure cache policies in one place, monitor hit rates by provider, and keep existing client integrations unchanged. The gateway applies provider-specific rules automatically, so developers do not need to build separate caching logic for each endpoint. Which workflows could benefit from faster responses and predictable spend? Prompt Cache is available today in preview for eligible accounts, with usage details, supported providers, and setup guidance in the dashboard. Start with one route, compare results, then expand.

out 959 tok (+813 thinking) latency 14.6 s

Constraint obedience (word budget, banned-word list, the single question), style fingerprint, and length control.

Use GPT-6 Luna in 30 seconds

OpenAI-compatible: swap the base_url, keep your SDK. POST /v1/chat/completions

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://synthorai.io/v1",
    api_key="sk-syn-...",
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-6-luna",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Summarize this diff"}],
    reasoning_effort="medium",
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)

About GPT-6 Luna

  • OpenAI calls it its most efficient model for focused, high-volume tasks and the lowest-cost option in the GPT-6 family, which makes it the natural fit for summarization, extraction, classification, and routing at scale.
  • It does not trade away the family's limits to get there: it keeps the 1,050,000-token context window, of which up to 922,000 tokens can be input, 128K max output tokens, text and image input, structured outputs, streaming, tool use, and prompt caching, with a May 2026 knowledge cutoff.
  • Reasoning effort runs from none to max with medium as the default, so a high-volume deployment can dial it down per request instead of switching models.
  • Prompts above 272K input tokens move the whole request onto the long-context rate at twice the input and 1.5x the output price.
  • As with the rest of GPT-6, function calling on Chat Completions works only when reasoning_effort is none; use the Responses API when you need tools and reasoning together.
  • Synthorai serves GPT-6 Luna through the same OpenAI-compatible API as the rest of the fleet.

FAQ

Is the GPT-6 Luna API free to try?

Yes: new accounts get 10 trial calls and up to $1 in free credit, no card required. At $0.1/M input tokens, that credit alone covers roughly 1,250 requests of ~8K tokens against GPT-6 Luna.

What is GPT-6 Luna best at?

Lowest-cost model in the GPT-6 family; built for focused, high-volume tasks; keeps the full 1.05M context and 128K output. See the About section for the full picture from the vendor's own release notes.

How much does GPT-6 Luna cost?

GPT-6 Luna costs $0.1 per million input tokens and $0.5 per million output tokens on Synthorai. That is the provider's list price, with no platform markup. Cached input tokens bill at $0.01/M.

Does GPT-6 Luna support prompt caching?

Yes, automatically: OpenAI-served prompts cache with no code changes. Cached input tokens bill at $0.01/M vs $0.1/M uncached; prompts need a 1,024-token stable prefix to cache (TTL 5-10m, up to 1h). Prompt caching guide →

How do I get access to GPT-6 Luna?

Point your existing OpenAI SDK at base_url="https://synthorai.io/v1", set model="gpt-6-luna", and you're done. One API key covers every model on the gateway.

What is GPT-6 Luna's knowledge cutoff?

GPT-6 Luna's knowledge cutoff is 2026-05, per the vendor's official documentation (as of 2026-09-23).

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Every value on this page is transcribed from the vendor's own documentation, linked above, and carries the date it was checked. Prices are compared across the catalogue; specification values that vendors define differently are shown with the difference stated rather than charted. Nothing here is measured by us, and nothing is scored.

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